The Spotless Mind Of A Timelord
by RachelRomance-x3
Summary: When Rose finds a way back to the Doctor, the real Doctor, how will she cope finding him the blundering lost 'human' John Smith? What has happened to his mind? And how will she get home? All credits to..the guys who produce & star in Doctor Who. R&R, ty x
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**_Big Blue Phone Box_**

The cool rain splattered against the window, and darkness crept through the world outside. Rubbing the condensation off the window with my sleeve, I tried to look out to the world I was in. I had no idea where I was, and nowhere to go. It really was the sort of thing I should have sorted out earlier, but of course, prior engagements took over.

"This is the last stop, love." The bus driver called through the lonely vehicle, his Scottish accent testament to my new surroundings. Startled, I tripped to the front of the bus, hesitating before the open doors.

"Do… uh. D'ya know any good hotels or anything around here?" I asked, pulling at my sleeve.

"Well… _Good_ hotels, that's a matter of opinion. The best, I'd say, is the other side of town, I'm afraid. But there's a small bed and breakfast just up the road from here, just head that way, and you should see the sign. Pretty small, mind."

"Oh. Ok. Thanks." I mumbled, and stepped outside. From what I'd gathered through the day, I was in a small town, somewhere in Scotland. I was standing on what seemed to be a main street, but there wasn't a soul about. Just up ahead, I could see a small sign reading 'B&B' above a door. Shuddering, I rushed forward, wishing I'd worn a hooded coat. It was a blessing to have remembered my purse.

The building was tiny on the inside, and clearly hadn't been decorated in decades. The carpet was a dusty, mossy brown flower pattern, and the walls were pale green. A tired looking old lady stood behind the desk, dressed in pink, gold and pearls. She glanced up slightly as I walked in, and blinked distastefully. "Hello." She said curtly, deciding whether I was worth her attention. "Are you here for a room?"

"Yeah, thanks. Is there any vacancies?"

"We do," She sighed, and I guessed there were plenty of vacant rooms. "How long do you plan to stay?" She pursed her lips, closing the book she had been reading.

"Can't I just pay each night? I'm not sure how long I'll be here. How much is it for a room?"

"Anything from twenty to thirty pounds, depending on what room…"

"Right…" I patted my pockets, searching for my purse. Nervously, I checked my funds. Forty pounds plus change. "Can I get the one for twenty quid?" I pulled two notes from my purse, and laid them on the desk. She smiled, warming slightly, and accepted the money.

"Would you like to sign here, and I'll lead you up to the room?" She pushed a guestbook my way, along with a pen. Quickly, I scrawled a name down, not my name, and pushed it back to her. "Right, Ms. Turner, follow me." She said, and strode over toward the ancient staircase. "First floor, second door on the left. Here's your key. Breakfast is served from seven till nine. If you plan on going out again tonight, I must warn that I will lock the door at eleven o'clock prompt."

"Right, right. Thanks, by the way." And with that, the old woman walked away. Taking the small, fading bronze key in my fingers, I unlocked the creaky door.

The room was small, but cosy. The horrendous carpet from the hall outside was long gone, replaced by a stylish, plush chocolate rug, over laminate flooring. The walls were plain cream. There was a tiny, pale blue bathroom by the room entrance, a tall cupboard, and a bed in cream and chocolate shades. Whoever had decorated had a better sense of style than the old woman downstairs. Tiredly, I stepped forward and fell onto the bed, damp clothes and all.

It had been a long day, that's for sure. Long, and confusing. I had started the day in London, possibly in a different universe. That had all changed, when we found it. A police box. A real one. Or so I thought. Mum and I, we'd decided to go shopping in London for Tony's birthday, when I saw it.

"I can't believe he's nearly two!" I exclaimed, laughing as she heaved an exasperated sigh.

"I can." She huffed, before grinning at me. "Ooh, you still haven't got him a card yet, have you?"

"He's _two_. I could give him a blank sheet of paper." I joked. "Nah, I've got him one. Don't worry, I'm all set."

"I'd hope so. He'd be put out with you if you didn't and you know it-" She paused, stopping still in the street.

"Mum…?" I said, looking back. Even her unruly blonde hair seemed frozen as she stared across the street.

"Rose… tell me that isn't…?" She said, her voice quiet, yet hopeful. I followed her gaze, and nearly choked on my breath. I didn't even answer. I was already barrelling toward the blue box, heart racing. My hands touched reached it, seconds before I slammed into it, groping for the handle.

"Please please… Let me in!" I whimpered, yanking hard on the old handle. It finally gave, and I flung myself inside, eyes blind.

It was just a police box. A phone rested on a small, graffiti covered unit, a ripped phone book stuck beside it. The small space stank, and the surfaces shone with sticky stains. "Rose? Rose!" Mum called, and I realized the door had closed behind me.

"Mum, it's not… it's just…" I started dejectedly, my various imaginings turning to dust in my head. He could have been right there in London, waiting with open arms, telling me he'd figured out a way around the parallel universe block. Tears sparked up in my eyes, and I shoved the door open.

I wasn't in London. I hadn't been in a phone box. I turned around, and found I had been standing in a red phone box, with windows. And I was in a town I had never seen before. Frantically, I stepped back inside, closing the door, closing my eyes. How did I get here? I opened them, and found nothing had changed. I was still in the strange new place. Hands trembling, I pulled out my phone, and called Mum. The line was dead. I tried using the phone box, and found that there too, the number didn't seem to exist.

There was no other way to explain it. I had been brought far from home, either by the Doctor, or for the Doctor. He had to be here. I had spent the whole day searching, looking for signs, for a familiar face, just the feeling that he was nearby, but to no avail. I hadn't even thought to buy another set of clothes, or pyjamas. It was only by chance that I'd found I was in Scotland.

It didn't seem like a positive situation, but there was still much to do before I could give in to sleep. Reluctantly, I stood up again, and wandered to the window sadly. I had been to different planets, different galaxies and different centuries. But I had never felt alone, purposeless like this. What if I couldn't find the Doctor? Why had I been so selfish as to want him? I had the mortal Doctor. I had Mum, Dad, Tony, Mickey.

The rain had cleared up slightly, just enough to see outside. Still, there was nobody out. Cars rarely passed, though it was only seven. Across the road, there were small houses, equally as small and squashed as the ones on my side. One house, the one directly across from me, was positioned awkwardly, so the garden was next to the tiny building, a tall sandstone wall around it. As though it was working by my thoughts, the outside light went on in the garden, and a tall man stepped outside. He wore an old fashioned suit with a bow tie, and his dark hair, illuminated by the light, was styled into a neat quiff. He stared across the garden, his expression thoughtful. I followed his gaze, and for the second time in the day, I felt my heart stop. The words 'BAD WOLF' spray painted on its blue wooden exterior; the dim glow of the 'Police Box' lettering, and a door that somehow looked… welcoming.

The man stared at it with a perplexed expression, like he didn't understand it. He wasn't the Doctor. Of course not; but I couldn't see why the Doctor would have left the Tardis there. The logic in my mind yearned to be heard, but I pushed it away and made for the door immediately. I passed the old woman again in the hall, and felt the need to just say _something_. "I'm nipping out for a bit, I won't be long." I told her, like it mattered to her.

Outside, it was still spitting with rain, but I dashed across the road, moments before the only car on the street passed by. "Sorry," I mumbled stupidly, my head in a jumble. Not one to be ignored, I pounded my fist against the door, moments short of yelling in impatience. The man from the garden answered within seconds, and, staring up at his face, I realized I had nothing I could say, not unless he knew the Doctor. "Hi, I'm here representing the local council, and we're all very intrigued by this 'blue box' in your garden… may I come inside?" I said, the words coming too quickly.

"Do you… do you have identification?" He asked, his accent not unlike my own.

"Yes, yes," I said impatiently, grabbing my purse and rooting through it. "Here." I said, showing him the blank card. "Rose Ty-…Turner, head of Environmental and Ecological department." I lied. "Now, can I please have a look at this box?"

"Come on in, Rose." He said, making me hesitate. The way he said it, it sounded… right. I shook my head: it was only because he had a similar accent to people I knew. "Yes… I really don't understand it. It's been there since I moved here." He sighed, leading me through the tiny house.

"And when did you move here, Mr…?"

"Smith. John Smith. And not long ago, about a month?"

"John Smith, did you say?" My voice had grown small, quiet. It was too strange. Something had to be going on, more than just a Tardis in the garden. He nodded quickly, and pushed out to the back door. I resisted the urge to run to it, much like I had in London. It felt like it was pulling me in, and I knew, this one was definitely the real deal. "And… have you seen anything unusual occur? People using the box? Have you been inside?"

"Nope. Certainly not. It's locked, it seems. And who would be there to use it, other than me?" He frowned to himself.

"Oh. Ok. Do you mind if I-"

"No, go ahead." He said, and eagerly, I skipped over to it. He was right; it was locked. Luckily, I had a key. Not caring if the peculiar Mr. John Smith saw, I pulled out the key, and unlocked the door. Happiness hit me as I opened the door, like the Tardis itself was exhaling in relief. Carefully, I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. It was, as always, a lot bigger on the inside. Machinery was everywhere, along with everything else a being could ever want and need. Except one thing.

"Doctor?" I called, my voice shaky. Where was he? "Hello? Hellooo?" I stepped up to the main controls, searching for any signs of life. Nothing. I reached toward the controls, avoiding any buttons or switches, and touched the cool metal, shuddering. Before heat flooded my veins, like an embrace. The Tardis 'woke up' recognising me. "Oh! You always knew how to charm a girl!" I said ecstatically, before realising I was talking only to the machine. But it knew. "Where is he?" I whispered, half hoping the Tardis would actually tell me, though I'd be mad if it _did_.

It was, however, a very intuitive device. On the screen, a face appeared, one of the Doctor's first incarnations. Quickly, it skimmed through the generations, pausing on the one I knew. "That's who I'm looking for, yep." I said, no longer caring. And then, it did something I didn't expect. It flipped forward to a new picture, the face of John Smith, the man in the house.

I knew the name 'John Smith' was too coincidental to be true! I knew there was something up! Tears welled in my eyes. I had found him. And of course, it was like him to want me to find out for myself. I turned, murmuring thanks to the Tardis, and walked to the door, expecting him to be standing there with an expectant smile on his new, smug face. I was only half right.

"W-what is this? This isn't… Blimey! It's certainly a lot bigger on the inside, isn't it?"

**AN: Helloo :D First of all, thanks for reading, I hope you liked it, & i hope you'll read more when I post it. **

**Feel free to review ;) Even if you didn't like it, or didn't get something, just to tell me..**

**Well, anyway, thanks again, I hope i hear from you! :D xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**Doctor? Doctor who?**_

"I can't believe you," I grinned, unable to even _pretend_ to be annoyed. "You did _all_ this, just to surprise me… how did you get me back? I thought the universes were like… closed? More importantly, _why_? Not that I'm not thrilled or anything, but I'm guessing there's a reason you went to the trouble of shifting parallel universes… other than just to… see me." I walked toward him eagerly, not really wanting answers. He could explain it later, if he was going to. "Like the new face… shame you're still not ginger."

"Pardon?" He spluttered, but I barely listened.

"I've missed _so_ much! Fill me in. Go on. Tell me all about your adventures since I last saw you."

"I _really_ don't know what you're talking about… Who are you, by the way?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

I smiled, ignoring the trickle of uneasiness down my spine. "Nice. No 'Welcome back'… No, 'I've missed you'… Thanks!"

He didn't smile back, but instead looked rather… perturbed. "What is this place? It's not like any police box I've seen… Actually, I haven't seen any police boxes, except in museums. They're not normally like this, though, are they?"

"Doctor, please!" I said, trying to keep hold of my waning smile. I'd found him again. I'd found the Tardis.

"Hah, I'm not actually a _doctor_, as such." He said sheepishly. "More of a professor. Wait, how do you know?" He stared at me in confusion, like reclaiming a lost memory. "…You weren't at my high school, were you?"

"What? Seriously?" I stared at him, the feeling of panic growing. "Who are you? You're not the Doctor, are you? You've never met anyone who went by the name of the Doctor?"

"I told you, my name's John Smith. I'm not a doctor, no, and of course, I've met several doctors, but none known as '_The_ Doctor'." He said, thinking.

"Yes, but who is John Smith? And what do you have to do with… all this?"

"I'm John Smith, I'm twenty four years old, I've just recently graduated, and I'm currently doing a study on astronomy. I've moved up here from England… and that's all I can think to tell you, stranger." He said warily. "Who are you again? I've forgotten, apologies."

"Rose, Rose Tyler." I said, fighting back tears. The Tardis said he was the Doctor, but he certainly didn't know it. At least, he certainly didn't know _me_. "I'm from London, originally. I'm looking for a friend. This is normally his… house." I turned back to the Tardis controls, and tried to reignite my memory. How could I get it to explain? Could it explain? "Help, please, something is really, really wrong," I muttered under my breath, somewhat hoping the Tardis itself would help.

"Wow! What's this?" 'John' said, appearing next to me suddenly. "Where are we, by the way? Surely the space occupied cuts into the neighbour's house…"

"This is the Tardis." I said bleakly, once again drawing up the slideshow of the Doctor's appearances. "You should know this," I sighed, but he didn't hear, or didn't listen.

"Am I allowed to… press any of these buttons?" He asked, eyeing the controls enthusiastically.

"No. Look. Do you recognize this face?" I asked, showing him what should have been the Doctor's last look. A long, proud face, with a spiked quiff of chestnut brown hair and a dull brown jacket. And of course, the customary Converse.

He stared at it for a long time, eyes intent and thoughtful; like the answer was just one memory away. "…Should I know him?"

"I think so…" I told him, flicking on to the next picture, his picture. "This is you. That means that he" - I flicked back to the previous image again –"Is also you. But that means you're the Doctor. And the Doctor doesn't forget. He doesn't forget anything, especially not _himself_." I was panicking now, blinking furiously so not to cry. I half expected him to run at me with a sweeping hug, and tell me not to be ridiculous – how could he forget?

"How do you have my photo?" He asked; suspicion thick in his voice. "And what on _Earth_ are you on about?"

"I don't know how I can explain it. You explained things to _me_. And I don't even _know_." I huffed. A final idea came to me; a clawing hope. "Go on, press some buttons, mess around with it. Whatever feels… natural, just press the button, flick the switch." I said, moving away slightly. Despite his clear enthusiasm, he didn't do anything. "Go for it. I know you don't understand now, but if this works, you'll know what I was talking about."

He glanced between me and the controls, before stepping forward in an almost familiar fashion, and staring at the various buttons and switches. I prayed the Tardis wouldn't let him do anything stupid, but knew it was the only other thing I could do. Maybe some habit would come forth, and tell me everything, or remind him. Stuck in my thoughts, I didn't realize at first, that he'd went for the large travel switch. The machine instantly came to life, flashing golden and blue lights, and jerking upward slightly, like a lift.

"Woah!" He yelled as we took flight. Almost as soon as it started, it stopped. We weren't travelling anymore. Worriedly, I walked to the doors, and peeked outside. We were floating somewhere in the stars above Britain, near the Moon.

"You're into astronomy, are you?" I asked, looking back and opening the door wider.

"Bloody hell!" He cried, stumbling forward. "What… what sort of circus tent _is_ this?"

"It's the Tardis, and that out there, it's real."

"No it's not." He said quickly, shaking his head.

"It is." I said, looking at him and raising my eyebrows challengingly. "Before we start experimenting again, let's get back to Earth, at least, shall we?" I said, leaving him to moon over, well, the Moon. "Close the door again, please," I said, not enjoying the feeling of telling him what to do, in what essentially was his own house. Obediently, he shut the door, and looked over at me expectantly. I reached for the lever when I caught his expression. "What would it take, to show you that this is real?"

"I don't know. Nothing. I don't believe it. How, why, et cetera? It doesn't make sense." He frowned. With a heavy, exasperated sigh, I pulled the lever, and we whizzed back to his garden.

"Ok. This time – yep, check outside if you want, we're back home – you can touch anything _but_ that lever. Go." I said, and after a quick look outside, he walked back to the controls.

"They always say… 'Do not press the red button'," He said to himself, just as he pressed the red button.

"Wait!" I yelled, too late. As expected, the whole police box rattled, lights flickering before finally switching off. I sighed heavily, "Press it again."

"What, really?" He asked, and through the dark I could see his silhouetted head swivel around to face me.

"Yes…" I groaned. "You should know this!" I said, frustration evident in my tone.

"Well I don't, I'm afraid." He said petulantly, pressing the button once more. The Tardis shuddered again – which was something new – before bursting back to life. "Ow!" He cried, jumping back. "It stung me. Like, a static shock." He grumbled at the machinery, and turned back to me, rubbing his hand. "Care to get out of this… magician's box? It makes me uneasy. And I'd quite like you to tell me what the hell is going on, and what you're looking for."

"Right. Ok. Let's go back outside… and then inside… and let me try figure it out." Things were a lot more complicated than I'd ever have thought; but that was usually the case with the Doctor.

We walked back outside, and reluctantly, I locked the door again. The rain had got heavier since we'd been inside, and now was bouncing off the concrete, forming puddles in dips in the ground. During the short time we were outside, I was already soaked to the bone. "Come on," He said, running to the house and opening the door.

Minutes later, we were sitting on the small sofa in the main room… well, he was, while I sat in front of the fireplace, trying to dry myself off.

"So…" He started, staring at the brown carpet with a small frown.

"Do you remember… anything exceptionally strange happening in your life?"

He looked up, thoughts flickering across his face. "The oddest thing that ever happened to me was when I decided to move up here. I don't know _why_ I did, I just upped and went. But no, nothing out of the ordinary… why, what do you mean?"

"I mean like Daleks in the streets, ghosts who were Cybermen… flying through space and time, solving the mysteries of the universe!"

He just blinked at me. "I'm sorry. I don't understand."

"Alright look. There's a whole universe past this tiny world, and it's often hostile. Fortunately, there's always been someone looking out for us. It seems you can't remember, but that's _you_. You were - you _are_ - the time travelling superhero from a place far away, the eccentric who found joy in mystery, the encyclopaedia of a being who _remembered everything_!" I cried, hugging my knees. He stared at me with wide eyes, unsure what to make of my outburst. I inhaled shakily, and asked quietly,"What happened before you came here? Do you remember? Tell me all about your life."

"I was at university in London, studying astronomy." He started hesitantly, as if afraid to upset me. "I just graduated this summer, and decided to come up here. There was nothing weird about it." He stated simply. "Once again, I apologize, but… I don't believe a word you're saying. I can see that _you_ believe it…" He shrugged.

"Are you saying I'm crazy?" I asked, smiling sadly, as my mind tore to shreds. I had no idea what was happening and it was almost _actually_ driving me insane. "How could you go into that _tiny_ police box, into a room that can only be described as being of mansion proportions, and not believe me? How can you look out of the door to what should have been the garden, and see nothing but stars and space, yet not believe me? How can you be the Doctor, and not believe me?" I asked, my voice crumbling. I had a slight urge to punch him, or just knock sense into him, somehow. "…Are you sure you're not just acting?" I asked quietly. "Because if you are, I want you to stop. No matter if you're really the Doctor or not, I'm staying. Not only because I have to, but because I want to get to the bottom of this. And… I want to come back."

"I'm not pretending. I'm sorry, I just don't know you."

"Really?" I asked, feeling the tears spill over for the first time. I rubbed them away furiously, not breaking eye contact. I couldn't see the Doctor in his eyes. But I could see something…

Fear. Of what?

"Are you… are you ok to leave?" He asked, as though sensing I could see his anxiety.

I blinked. This changed _everything_. Part of me wanted to go stay in the Tardis, or use it to go home. I could take him to London and back in seconds, further proof of the reality of the Tardis. "Ok. If you remember _anything_, I'm at the bed and breakfast across the road. Ask for Rose Turner." I said, turning to leave, regretting what I'd said already.

I wasn't going to go back to the inn, not tonight. As soon as I was outside his front door, the lock clicked shut, leaving me alone in the Scottish rain. It was an obvious sign that I wasn't a welcome presence. It didn't matter what he thought now, though. Mind set, I walked around to where the garden wall was connected to the street, looking for a way up. I spotted a bin, and a thin fence of the house next door, and had my route. With no regard for myself, or the things I stood on, I leapt up on to the bin, and then immediately hopped up on the wall, the rough stone biting into my palms. Awkwardly, I shuffled around and dropped down onto the concrete ground. Fumbling for the key again, I glanced over to the house. There he was, the Doctor, or whoever he was, watching me through the grimy back window. I expected him to come and tell me to leave, but he never moved, only to close the blinds. Taking it as a sign I could go on, I opened the Tardis and stepped in eagerly.

It had changed a lot since I had seen it. There were various 'rooms' set around, like stepping from the original control room into a museum. There were several artefacts I guessed he shouldn't have; a Mona Lisa painting with a winking eye, crumbling letters with signatures that made me look twice, a peculiar twig with vibrant yellow berries and string, and there were pictures. Pictures of _everywhere_. Not like the ones the Tardis could easily recall, but old fashioned, store developed pictures. There was one of me. I could remember it being taken. I was stood next to a Cat Person, one of the Sisters of Plenitude, still in awe at the strange cat face.

I remembered the day. Cassandra, the infected patients, The Face of Bo… An overwhelming feeling of nostalgia hit me. I wanted to be back, more than anything. I had missed so much, and done so little with my own life. Taking the picture, I wandered back to the controls, feeling lonely again. "I want to come back," I said, as though the Tardis could make it happen. "I want the Doctor back. Are you hiding him? Keeping his mind and memory?" I asked hopelessly. "Cause if you are, I want it back. I think he needs it back." Was it too much to ask, to see a jar appear, labelled 'Doctor's Brain'?

I sat down; mind churning like a hurricane, and thought of something else. What was happening at home? Was Mum still looking for me in that police box? Had the mortal Doctor finally decided I wasn't worth his time? This was his new, mortal life, free to experience the world without duty; he had been pining to go for months. Would Mickey finally ask that girl from the shop for a date? He had wanted to talk to her for at least three weeks, but I guess he was still unclear of our relationship – he worried what I thought too much. And Mum and Dad? And Tony? I hoped they weren't too worried. Because, even if I were desperate to return, I didn't know how long it would take, or even if it was possible. I wondered if the fake police box was in this universe's London, too, and if I'd remember where it was. Starting from the flat, I mentally walked out toward where it had been, trying to remember. Unfortunately, I got lost in my own mind and hometown, and somehow fell asleep, trying to think my way back.

**AN: Alright, another chapter here, hope you enjoy it! If you do, review. If you didn't, feel free to review! :D**

**Anyway, thanks for reading (: xxx**


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